Car-door



UNITEDy STATES GEORGE THOMPSON, or GRAND marins, MICHIGAN.

(hlt-DOOR.l

Specification of Letterslatent. Patented Sept. 20, 1921.l

Application led July 16, 1919. Serial No. 311,856.

To all whom t may concern:

V Be it known that I, GEORGE THOMPSON, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent andV State of'Michigan, have invented cars whichV carry grain or other loose pro.; duce and it is an object and purpose of the invention to produce a'door, very simple in construction and operation and containing many improvements in Vboth manufacture and'use over that'shown in my previous pati ent issued November 9, 1915, No. 1,159,550

and adapted for the same purpose. The present invention comprises many novel constructions and arrangements of parts for greatly simplifying the door and making it more practicalV as will appear fully and in detail in the following description,` taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, inwhich# i p F ig-ure lis a rear elevation of the door. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken through the door' and adjacent portions'of the car on which it is mounted, and

door andadj ac'ent portions of the car.

`Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different guresof the drawing. The door is adapted to be slidably-mounted on the car'so as to cover aside vopening therewith, as usual, the vertical posts at leach side ofthe door openingy being indicated at 1. On the inner side of each post 1 a channel member `is attached" comprising` a web 2 which lies against the inner side of the post and front' and rear inwardly extending flanges 3 and 4, the latter of which isy of greater width than the former. The channels extend from the lowerv portion'of vthe door opening upwardly for a distancebut not the fullheiglit ofthe opening. Upper and lower rods 5 connect the flanges 3 and 4 of each channel, said rods inclinin'g downwardly at anangle from rear to'front, and 'alsofinclining outwardly fromrear tofront asshow-n in Figs, 3; an'dv2; The usual car Fig. 3 is a vertical sectionl through theV door 6 is mounted to slide back and forth over the o 'ening, the usual fixtures 7 for mounting t e door being used', as well as a track for-the upperrollers to run on, this being :old and well known. The track is attached directly over the upper edge of the openingand" to the part 9 of the car above said opening.,

In the upper portion of the door an opening- 10 is made adapted to be closed by a doorll. Through this opening a chute may be passed for theent-rance of graink into the car after the door is closed. Likewise in thelowerportion of-'the door a second opening 12 is made, adapted to be covered by a suitable closure 13 which may be moved-to one sidefor the grain to pass out of the cai` when the door is closed as will later appear.

A- plate 14 of heavy sheet metal, practcally of the same height 'as the channels and of a width slightly wider than the distance between the inner` edges of the flanges 4 of, the channels is located-behind the .door and connected thereto. A number of'horizontal rods15 are located one ,above the other on the rear side of' the door and rotatably mounted thereon in bearings 16. Fromzeach of said rods arms 17 extend rearwardly connecting-to other horizontal rods 18 located in front ofthe plate 14'and rotatably mounted in bearings 19 fixed to the front side of theplate. A barf20` is mounted on Lthe rods 5 in each ofV the channels normally sliding downthe rods 5 against the flanges 3 and lying, when in such front position, so that its inner edge does not extend beyond the edge of the flange. The flanges 3 have portions cutaway at 3ar as shown for the passage of the extended ends of the rods 18, which engage against the bars 20 and force the Vsame to the rear when the plate 14 moves from its upper position against the rear side .ofv the door to lower lposition against the front-sides of ythe `flanges 4.' This movementof bars 20 tothe rear brings them inward astheytraversev the inwardly inclined rods 5 from front to rear and against the front of the plate 14 'atl its vertical side edges as shown in Fig. 2,

locking the plate 14 against movementex-` cept'when it is elevated and turned forward against the back of the door.. f

To lift the plate 14, a chain 21 is attached to thel plate'and passed throughl an opening in the door 6 and fastened to a lever V22 at apoint. between thefen'ds thereof, theupper end of the lever, as shown in Fig. 3, being pivotally attached to the door below the opening for passing the chain through the door. Normally the weight of the plate 14 will cause it to go to lower position and the lever is turned upwardly and into the dotted line position shown in Fig. 3. By grasping the lever and pulling down onthe same the plate may be elevated and turned so as to lie against the rear side of the door whereupon it may be moved on the track 8 to one side to open the car. When the. plate 14 is in lower position its lower edge bears against the sill 24 at the lower side of the door opening making a tight connection or engagement therewith. i

The plate 14 has an ope-ning 25 in its lower portion directly behind the opening 12 in the door which may be normally closed` by a slide 26 mounted on the front side of the plate. Said slide is movable to uncover the opening and may be moved from in front of the opening when the door is shut by first moving the cover 13 of opening 12 to one side and then reaching in and 4operating the slide'26. Y

When the car is to be filled lwith grain, the door is closed and the plate 14 placed* in lower position to which it naturally drops by gravity and the vgrain entered into the car through the opening at 10. The grain fills the car and presses against the rear side of the plate 14, the pressure being a direct horizontal pressure which is resisted by the arms 17 and by the locking bars 20 which, when a direct forward horizontal pressure is brought against their rear sides tend to bi'te against rods 5 and be thus held against movement, this locking the plate 14 from movement under the pressure against it. Whe-I1 the car reaches its destination, the openings 12 and 25 are uncovered permittingy the escape of grain until enough has been taken from the car directly back of the plate 14 to permit the plate to be lifted, whereupon the plate is lifted and the door moved to one side.

The operation of the door with the attachments thereon is simple and the construction is of few parts and readily manufactured and installed at comparatively low cost. It Saves boarding up the door opening back of the door for the grain to bear against and the loss of the lumber needed forsuch operation. This lumber can seldom be used over againas it is shattered and rendered unfit for reuse .when it is knocked loose after thev car reaches its destination. This constructionis more economical and simple in construction than that of my former patent and it serves to hold the grain back from the door quite as well. v

I claim: t

1. In combination with av car having aside opening therein, vertical posts at-the sides of'said opening, channel members attached on the inner sides of said posts and including front and rear flanges, said front flanges being narrower than the rear flanges, rods disposed between the flanges of each channel and disposed downwardly and forwardly atan angle to the horizontal from rear to front and also outwardly and away from the door opening at an angle to the webs of the flanges from rear to front, vertical bars slidably mounted on the rods, one in each channel member, a door slidably mounted on the car and adapted to coverfsaid lside opening inthe car, a plate located back of the door of a width to pass between the front flanges of the channels but wider than the distance between the rear flanges thereof, horizontal rods pivotally mounted one above the other on the front side of the plate, the ends of sides of the rear flanges of the channel members, said front flanges having openings therein to pass the ends of the rods attached tothe plate so` that said rods serve to move the vertical bars backward against the'ver.- tical side edges of the plate, and means for levating the plate from Vthe outside of the oor.` i f Y f Y 2. In combination with a car havingia side opening therein, vertical posts. at the sides of the opening, channels attached on the inner vsides of the posts having inwardlyrextending front and rear flanges, the front flanges being of less width than the'rear flanges, sp'acedf apart rodsk connecting the flanges of each channel member,-said rods extending upwardly and-inwardly at angles to the `horizontal and thewebs of the channels fromxfront. to rear, vertical bars, one in each channel member slidably mounted on the rods, a door mounted on the carto close the side openingtherein or move away therev from to uncover it, a vertical plate disposed behind thev door of a widthmto pass between the front flanges of the channel but greater than the distance between the rearfflanges thereof, means for connecting the plate to the door whereby said plate may be elevated for engaging againstthe bars and moving them backward against the plate" as the. plate is 'lowered and moved backward, substantially as described. j Y

3. In combination, a car having a side opening therein, a door slidablymounted on vthe car and adapted to epen or 'closeV said opening therein, a plate ydisposed vertically at the rear of the door, connections for at-' taching the plate to the door whereby the plate may be elevated and moved. forward against the rear side of the door or lowered and moved back from the door into said openingin theside of the car when the door is in closed position, means for elevat ing and moving the plate forward from within the doorway, means located at the sides of the opening against which the vertical side portions of the plate bear when in lower position, and means movably mounted in front of said first means for locking the plate against movement from a direct horizontal pressure applied to the back of the plate, said means being movable forward and laterally and disengaging from the plate as the plate is elevated and moved forward, and means for engaging the same and moving it rearwardly and against the plate as the plate is lowered and moved to the rear, substantially as described.

4. In coinbination, a car having a Side opening therein, a door slidably mounted thereon for opening orv closing the door opening, a vertically positioned plate attached to the rear side of the door and connected thereto so that it may be elevated against the rear side of the door or lowered and moved backward a distance into the opening in the car, means for moving the plate against the rear Side of the door from without the door, and means automatically operable as the plate is lowered and moved backward forengaging the same and locking it against forward movement from direct horizontal pressure applied to its rear side,- substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

GEORGE THOMPSON. 

